a history of violence review

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Average Ratings

Value for Money	6.7/10
Overall rating	6/10

67% Recommended2 out of 3 Reviews

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By Eazy on 30th Oct 2005

Eazy's Ratings

Starring Actor/Actress	Viggo Mortensen
Where Did You See It?	Cinema
Value for money	5/10
Overall value	5/10
Eazy's recommendation

Good Points

Viggo Mortensen unleashed

Bad Points

Overrated!! Bad writing, bad acting, and over acting.

General Comments

The critics have all but tripped over themselves, wet with excitement, as they all seem to be over this film. I'm willing to wager that no one is more surprised at all the drippy fawning over A History of Violence, than the filmmakers themselves. They've put out a decent, very watchable action flick, complete with an easy-on-the-eye, charismatic leading man, idealized family life, gory violence, cartoonish bad guys, and feats of impossible prowess. All well and good, but there's not a smidgen of transcendence in any of this - not in the concept, not in the writing, and not in the acting. As for the much vaunted "incisive commentary" on contemporary life, well, there's "bullies are nasty", "mobsters are nasty", "serial murderers are really nasty", and most unintentionally, "if you're a reformed-bad-guy-gone-into-hiding, best not to get your face in the papers". I'm not saying it isn't fun to watch, as the very hot Viggo Mortensen kick butt left and right, or the very ridiculous William Hurt channel Bill Shatner. I'm just saying that the frenzy of admiration over this movie is enough to make me wonder if we are in the midst of some grand experiment in mass hallucination.

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